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Text description provided by the architects. Derby house is an alteration and addition to a former duplex residence with a wonderful aspect facing the scenic Sydney Harbour and City. The client is a family with 4 young children with a love of entertaining, outdoor living and connection with the landscape.

The design of Derby House pivots on the communal use of the family home & garden, cultivating family togetherness in a contemporary way. Ground floor rooms spill out into the landscape to blur the line of outside and inside living. After a meandering journey through front garden, past the garden room, pool and outdoor shower, the architectural programme cites a traditional floor plan where living spaces make up the ground floor, and bedrooms & bathrooms on the upper level. On both levels, sliding doors connect spaces, shutters transform traditional interior spaces into classic sunrooms, and nature is used as a guiding element throughout.

To complement the existing traditional bungalow, the new addition on facing the street is a modernist concrete framework with lightweight timber infills to create the building envelope. The site’s western aspect determined the inclusion of windows to span the complete eastern & northern sides of the lower & upper levels to maximise natural light and views throughout the home. Horizontal shutters provide privacy and the element comfort during the warmer months.